Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong

This song is called Summertime and was preformed by Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald. Ella Fitzgerald was born in NY. While she was growing up she was very inspired by the performances and  the music from the Harlem renaissance. She loved to sing and dance and started out just wanting to dance. When she found that her strength was singing she focused on that and loved it.Even though she wasn't in the same time period as the Harlem Renaissance she was deeply connected by the idols that she loved as a kid. She sang with many performers that were in the Harlem Renaissance such as Louis Armstrong and many others. In this song she sings with Louis Armstrong who was a amazing jazz musician who was very much a part of the Harlem Renaissance. He was born in New Orleans and learned how to play jazz. He had many idols in Louisiana and loved music. He moved to NY in early1924 and  began recording with major singers such as Bessie Smith, Clarence Williams and countless others. He was famous in Harlem and many people adored him as a jazz musician. This song is from Porgy and Bess, an opera created by George and Ira Gershwin. It illustrated the hardships of everyday life. Even though Porgy and Bess was written after the Harlem Renaissance I thought that it connected because of the way the lyrics of the song it ties to the Harlem Renaissance. The Harlem life did influence Porgy and Bess. Even though the movie was made in Hollywood there was still the authenticity of the Harlem lifestyle.

I think that the determination to fight against oppression comes through when she sings "And one day he's gonna rise up singing" I like the child will fight against all the hatred in the world. Then when she says "Hush little baby don't you cry" I thought that it was saying that it's not your time yet to fix the world let others try then you can save it. I feel the baby symbolizes the hardships that they've gone through and that the struggles are not over yet. That there are still bumps in the road that we have to smoothed out in order to make it good for everyone. It opens people's eyes to see what others go through in the United States. It shows the life that cannot be seen on a television screen but only through someone's eyes. Watching their experience unfold and see what they do. You detach from regular life and start to see through their eye's, feel their hurt, pain, and love. Your feel happy when they are happy or sad when they are sad. You start to understand them and want the best for them. How they are fighting the oppression that some of us don't see. They are still  fighting for that freedom that we all feel we have.

I love this song and the arrangement that Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald made of Summertime. The song brings back many memories for me. It's a song I love to sing, especially the lines " Summertime and the living is easy," the opening line is the best because of the range of notes. I love the sound that the voice makes when it hits the top note and comes down for "the living is easy." I think that this is more than a song. It is a stance against the world that we are fighting that says we will win. It is one of my favorite songs from Porgy and Bess. Another reason why I love the song is because  of the emence amount of soul and power that Ella gives to this song. She sings it with such pride and glory. It makes you feel that you can reach and grab the amount of fire that she feels, that the lyrics mean something to her and that she will make them come true. She inspires me to sing more fully and embrace every lyric that I sing. She shows me how to fully commit to the song. She is an amazing singer and performer, and I look up to her.